Love Letters in Verse 

To a Musician 
By 

Anna Comtesse de Bremont 



Love Letters in Verse 

To a Musician 

By 
ANNA COMTESSE de BREMONT 

V'l 

AUTHOR OF "sonnets AND LOVE POEMS," "SONNETS FROM 

A PARISIAN BALCONY," "THE WORLD OF MUSIC," "GREAT 

VIRTUOSI," ETC., ETC. 




D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK AND LONDON MCMXIV 



Copyright, 1914, by 
D. Appleton and Company 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 

tC 

JAN -8 1915 



TO 

THUEL BURNHAM 

Whose Music inspired these Love Letters in Verse 

written in the secret Book of my Heart I 

dedicate these few leaves fragrant 

with the tender love of our 

twin souls of Music 



Foreword 

Y^/HEN the young artist to whom this 
little book of verses is dedicated first 
came to London to make his debut, he was 
fortunate in making the acquaintance of 
the Comtesse de Bremont — ^poet, singer, 
noveUst and composer — ^to whom his gifts 
became an inspiration, as Chopin's did to 
George Sand. The Comtesse wrote to 
this young "faun of Music" a httle letter 
in verse every day, from which those in 
the present brocheur are selected — ^tiny 
gems of sympathetic insight and appre- 
ciation, the tribute of one artistic soul to 
another. 



I 

A New Star 



ACROSS the path that marks the 
-^*^ milky way, 

A star of new-born splendour casts its ray. 

The wise men say it is too bright to last 

'Tis but the Star-dust of a heavenly day. 



We know it is a young musician's soul, 
Seeking amid the shining worlds that roll 
Around the azure depths of God's foot- 
stool, 
The soul of Music as its earthly goal. 



11 



n 

The Musician 

T^HE gloom within the dim old Hall 
^ took wing- 
When thou — sweet youth — didst make 
the key-board sing. 
In mellow tones and sweep of splendid 
chords, 
The Master's grand and matchless song — 
Erl-King! 

For thou hadst come to humbly bid for 

fame, 
A new Apostle in the Master's name, 
With light upon thy brow, fire in thy 

hands; 
The glorious creed of Music to proclaim! 

There, like some pure and radiant acolyte. 
With censor flaming to the Altar's height 
We followed thee unto sweet Music's 
shrine 
To seek the grace of Melody's delight. 

They came, the spirits of the Masters 

dead — 
To greet thee by the rites of Music led 
Beethoven — Schubert — ^Liszt and sad 
Chopin — 
To breathe a benediction on thy head! 
12 



Ill 

The Kiss of Melody 



TJE touched the keys— and Melody 
A ^ a-start 

Became a sentient thing — a singing part 
Of that which is, and all that might 
have been, 
In the unwritten score we call the heart. 



One melody woke to the other's bliss, 
And softly sighed in sweet amaze — ^what's 

this! 
The other answered in a rapturous 

chord — 
'Tis that which mortals call a Lover's kiss. 



13 



IV 

His Face 
When playing Chopin's Nocturne 



I 



SAW the poet-soul shine thro' his face 
Framed in its lineaments of fleshly 

grace, 
While o'er it swept illusive shadows sad 
Like frozen fire within an opal vase. 



I watched the light of inspiration swell 
Till brow and eye like some translucent 

shell 
Revealed the strong young soul of 

genius there, 
A - glow with Music's passion - kindling 

spell. 

With joy I gazed into his burning eyes 
And watched Love's first bright flame 

tumultuous rise 
That to all other things his vision 

dimmed 
That he might see the wisdom of the Wise ! 



14 



V 

The SouVs Tribute to Music 



INTO the garden of sweet Harmony, 
^ I sent my dearest Thought to cull for 
thee, 
Amid the tuneful maze a rose of song, 
That might a tribute to thy music be. 

And soon my Thought returned to me 

and said — 
The rose of Song sleeps in her garden 

bed- 
She will not wake save to the voice of 

Love, 
Whose golden quiver rests beneath her 

head. 

And then I sent my Soul to seek a flower. 
Amid the blossoms of her fairest bower, 
A pearl-like Lily in her hand she 
brought. 
Emblem of Music's pure ennobling power ! 



15 



VI 

The First Song 



TO thee, when first my heart's sweet 
song I sang, 
So deep the melody that trembUng sprang 
From Love's hps glorified by Love new- 
found, 
Thou didst not hear Love's minor-chord 
that rang ! 



16 



VII 

The Late Rose 



/^NE year ago we found an open gate, 
^^ That showed a scented garden, 

where kind Fate 
A rose had planted many years ago 
That did not bloom less fair for blooming 

late. 

The rose its promise sweet fulfilled that 

night, 
x\nd tho' 'twas gathered at perfection's 

height. 
The perfume now outlives the perfect 

flower, 
And Ungers still in Memory's delight. 



17 



VIII 

His Touch 



APOLLO'S lute hath never sweeter 
-^"■^ sound 

Than those rich tones that hold our 
senses bound. 
When in his witching rhapsody of touch 
He wraps our souls with extasy around. 



18 



IX 

The Kiss 



CWEET is the kiss of Life's fulfilled de- 



^^ sire. 



And sweet the kiss that kindles passion's 

fire; 
But more supremely sweet the last 

chaste kiss 
When two souls meeting on Love's lips 



expire ! 



19 



X 

Sympathy 



A S roses crave for clear life-giving dew, 

-^^^ And grapes dream of the wine-cup's 

ruddy hue — 

As night calls to the stars to light her 

way — 

Soul cries to soul for sympathy e'er true. 

For that keen, swift, intangible delight, 
That hath not touch, nor ear, nor taste, 

nor sight, 
The pulse and fever of Emotion's glow 
That fills the soul to sweet repletion's 

height ! 

For this the soul seeks, till a kindred one 
Springs from the Unawares, like burst of 
sun. 
To quicken in its warm effulgent rays 
The seed of Love in sympathy begun! 



20 



XI 

Companionship 



WHEN kindred hearts in tender con- 
ference meet. 
To cull the flowers in Music's garden 
sweet, 
And weave them into garlands of de- 
. light. 
To bind two souls in harmony complete. 

The silent comradeship of happy thought, 
The interchange of sympathy unsought, 

The giving for dear giving's sake alone 
That cannot be by selfish favour bought. 



21 



XII 

Reaction 



AS when the sun sinks in the gUttering 
west, 
And o'er the land the mists of twihght 
rest, 
So sinks my soul when I see Love de- 
part. 
And Loneliness remains my silent guest. 



22 



XIII 
He 



T^HE day is done — ^its rain and clouds 
^ have passed, 

But in my heart the rain and clouds still 
last, 
Till he comes like the glory of the sun 
To banish skies in darkness overcast. 

He brings the hope of sympathy fulfilled, 
He will of clouds a Lover's castle build. 
E'en as the sun dyes all the skies in 
gold, 
With golden Love He will the hours gild. 

He is not that He seems — but that I miss, 
In all I have in life — summed up in this: 

He is perfection garbed imperfectly. 
Soul of a dream — dear shadow of a kiss! 



23 



XIV 

The Chain 



I SEND my thoughts in waving Unks of 
light, 
Across the town to chain thine inner 
sight, 
Within the spell that binds us soul to 
soul 
And makes us One thro' distance of the 
night. 



24 



XV 

Love's Perfection 



LOVE'S hand in mine all unresisting 
^ lay* . 1 ij 

That I might lead Love m the old sweet 

way, 
Love's soul looked into mme with ten- 
der gaze 
Bespeaking that Love's mute lips wished 
to say. 

Love taught me Love's Perfection secret 

The rapture when two hearts together 

beat, , w T 

And I, in gratitude, revealed to Love, 
The gate where happiness and wisdom 
meet ! 



25 



XVI 

The Song 



T^TE filled with song's delight the Sum- 
▼ ^ mer-day 
Until the silvery twilight led the way 
To starlit hours of Night's deep, sweet 
repose, 
Where still in dreams the soul of song 
held sway. 

Alas! that Summer-day so softly flown, 
Will ne'er return from shores of the Un- 
known, 
But in our hearts that song shall end- 
less bloom 
The sweetest flower in Memory's garden 
grown. 



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XVII 

The Letter 



THE Mercury of Morn in postman's 
guise, 
Who sheds his welcome missives as he 
flies, 
Dropt 'neath my roof-tree one that 
woke sad dreams, 
And blessed my day's first hour with glad 
surprise. 

For next to seeing thee 'tis writing thee 
That makes thine absence bearable to me, 
Words from thee are as sweet as words 

with thee, 
The fragrant words in Love's sweet 

treasury. 



27 



XVIII 

Reminiscenses 



TPHE words and thoughts by plastic 
brain enshrined, 

The unseen chains that Past and Present 
bind, 
The subtle perfume of a book-pressed 
rose, 

The casket with Love's dear, dead mis- 
sives lined. 

A chord of Music heard at twilight hour. 

The long dead message of a faded flower, 

The pictures wrought upon the inner 

eye. 
By Memory's brush of swift, mysterious 

power! 



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